Is it Fate?
by Nil1875
Summary: Katara is hurt during a storm, and someone unexpected saves her. KataraZuko COMPLEAT!
1. Falling

_Well I have recently been pulled into the mad world of fandom. Again. First it was Kingdom Hearts and now this. Soooooo Now I am a rabid fangirl. WOOT!!!_

_ Ok yeah so this is my first Zutara fic. I was at first a mad Zuko hater and was all for the Aang and Katara thing but yeah. Zuko got redeemed and he got hair! I love the hair. And now it's cute. And I can't wait for the season finale. WOOT Zuko and Katara stuck in a cave together!_

_Anyway onto the story. Please enjoy and review. I appriciate reviews. _

* * *

"Katara!" 

"Aang! Help me!"

- - - - - -

_That morning_

Katara woke to the sound of a fire crackling. Opening her eyes she saw Aang watching the fire intently. He blinked and it died down to embers. He blinked again and it roared. Katara sat up a little and smiled. 

"Been practicing your fire bending?

Aang jumped slightly and turned to look at her. A grin spread over his face. "Yeah. I'm finally getting the hang of it."

Katara smiled and got up. She gathered her things and went to the river. The cold water woke her up and after she had bathed and dressed she returned to the camp. When she got there she was surprised to find breakfast already made. And for once when she didn't cook it was actually edible.

After they had eaten they packed their camp and flew north.

A few hours passed and a wind began to blow. It grew stronger and stronger. Appa grunted as he was blown around.. Sokka and Tophe held onto the sides of the saddle. Katara leaned over the edge to see that they were over a dense Forrest. Katara looked for a place to land and found a clearing.

"Aang! I think we should land over there!" she shouted.

He looked down and nodded. Black storm clouds had gathered on the horizon and were moving fast. He steered Appa toward the clearing but the wind blew him back.

A particularly strong gust hit the bison and Katara was thrown over the side. She grabbed the saddle as she fell.

"Katara!" yelled Aang.

"Aang! Help Me!" she yelled. Her hands slipped and she fell. She saw Aang and Sokka leaning over the side shouting for her. She knew she was falling too far to survive. A sense of peace came over her and she closed her eyes and curled herself into a ball.

Katara felt her body slam into the first tree and screamed.. It hurt but it didn't seem to damage her. The further she fell though, the more she hurt. Finally her head hit a branch and the world went blank.

- - - - - -

Zuko looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Uncle I think we should stop," he said.

Iroh looked at the sky, following his nephew's gaze. A storm was brewing. "I think you're right," he muttered.

Iroh quickly changed direction and headed for the nearby hills. "Perhaps we can find a cave to shelter ourselves in," he said absently.

Zuko cast a glance around the woods around them and followed his uncle. He had an uneasy feeling, like something was about to happen. Something important.

"Zuko! I found a cave!" shouted Iroh over the winds of the storm.

Zuko turned and walked toward his uncle. He stopped when he heard a scream in the distance.

"Ka..ra!"

He listened and heard something of the next outcry.

"..ng! Hel...Me!"

He ran toward the sound and looking up at the trees he found that they were too dense to see to the sky. He heard branches crack and saw a streak of blue falling through the trees. As he watched the thing fall he realized it was a girl. She screamed as she hit a branch and curled into a ball. He rushed forward under the tree, intent on catching her. As she fell through the trees she went limp and began uncurling. She was still ten feet from the ground when her right arm hit a branch and broke with a sickening crunch.

Reaching out his arms Zuko caught her as softly as he could. He wondered what had come over him, but he couldn't deny that it was a strong urge to save this girl.

The rain began to pound, cold and hard against his back as he cradled the girl to his chest. He ran to the cave, carful not to do any more damage to her arm or anything else she might have hurt.

"Where have you been...?" Iroh began, but trailed off when he saw the girl. "Where did you find her? Isn't she the Avatar's guardian?"

Zuko nodded. "The water bender. She...she just fell out of the sky. The Avatar must have been near."  
"I'm sure the storm blew him off corse." The ex-General knelt down by the injured water bender. He checked her over and quickly set to work.

"Zuko take the cooking pot outside and lit it fill with rain water. And find some good branches to use to splint her arm."

"Yes Uncle."

When Zuko returned with the pot Iroh had set Katara's arm and was ready to wash her wounds.

"Wait outside Nephew," he commanded in a stern voice when Zuko make to stay.

"But,"

"Zuko. Go."

With a sigh and a look at the girl lying unconscious on the floor Zuko left the cave and took shelter under a tree.

When had this happened? When had he started caring about the little peasant girl that protected the Avatar? Had he really changed that much?


	2. Tea

_Hello. I'm so sorry that this took so long. I finally had the time to work on it after all the stuff with Christmas was done. Also I apologize that chapters are now going to be shorter. However with this as the case, there may be alot more of them. _

_ Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, favorited the story, or added the story to their alert list. I appriciate it. _

_Hope everyone likes the chapter and that you don't kill me for being so bloody late. _

* * *

Katara's eyes fluttered open and she saw a stone cave over her head. She turned her head to the side and saw someone bending over a fire. She tried to sit up and quickly gritted her teeth and closed her eyes against the pain in her arm and side.

Slumping back against the blanket she way lying on, Katara groaned.

"You're awake."

She opened her eyes and found an old man leaning over her. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Who are you?" she rasped, her throat dry as sand.

"I am a friend."

For now Katara accepted this and tried to sit up again. Using only her left arm, she managed to support herself enough to lean against the rock by her head.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to remember the events of the day before.

"You fell." said the old man. "My nephew found you. Actually, he caught you when you fell out of the last tree or you would be dead right now. Tea?"

Katara blinked at the change of subject. She nodded and accepted the steaming cup. It was Jasmin tea. She took a drink and felt the hot liquid roll down her throat. She sighed when she was done and put the cup aside.

"Thank you," she said shyly. "The tea is very good."

"You are welcome. Would you like something to eat? Or would you prefer to rest more?"

Katara's stomach blanched at the thought of food. With a weak smile she lay back on the blanket.

"I think I'll rest, for now."

"Good."

The man smiled and left. Katara realized as her eyelids fluttered shut that she was in a small back cave that opened onto a larger one. She heard voices drifting through the opening as the darkness of sleep overtook her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Did she recognize you?" snapped the boy by the fire. He was little more than seventeen, with a burn mark that covered much of the left side of his face.

"If she did, she did not show it or say anything." said the old General Iroh as he sat by the fire. "You should not worry so much Prince Zuko."

The boy frowned. "Now worry uncle? She's the Avatar's protector! If she finds out who we are we'll lose them again because she will attack us and then the Avatar will get away!"

"Nephew. She is in no condition to fight. She cannot even use her right arm. Why the sudden change? You seemed very concerned about her when she fell, which I will say is unusual in itself, but now...you are cold again."

Zuko turned his back on his uncle and the fire to hide the turmoil on his face. When he had seen the girl fall, his first instinct was to save her. And even when he saw who she was he could have left her to die. So why didn't he? All that he cared about was capturing the Avatar and reclaiming his honor. Wasn't it?

Shaking his head Zuko stood and left the cave. As he passed the entrance he grabbed his Blue Spirit mask from his bag.

"I'll be back," he muttered as he passed out of the cave mouth into the sunset and growing shadows of the forest.


	3. Azula

"GET BACK HERE THIEF!!!"

Zuko chuckled as he ducked behind a building. He tossed the fruit he had taken in the air and turned to leave. He stopped short when he came face to face with the Avatar.

"So," the boy said with a thoughtful look on his face. " The Blue Spirit strikes again. Although I didn't know you stole fruit for a living now."

Zuko narrowed his eyes behind his mask. Oh how easy it would be to just grab the little pest now. If only... He looked up again realizing the Avatar was speaking again.

"...Actually need your help, if you have the time." The boy looked hopefully at the empty eyes of the mask.

Zuko mentally shook his head, and nodded his real one.

"My friend fell off of my flying bison. Over the woods. I know she's alive. Could you look for her?"

Oh good, thought Zuko, something I don't have to do. I already have the girl.

Nodding his head again, Zuko jumped onto the ledge above and vanished among the rooftops of the lower city of Ba Sing Se.

Aang sighed.

-:-:-:-:-:-

As Zuko made his way to the outside of the city wall, he heard a loud crunching sound. Turning he saw the gates grinding open and a caravan coming into the city. Changing his corse, Zuko sped along the rooftops to the gate wall. He was just in time to hear the last of the conversation between the gatekeeper and the person inside the carriage.

"..it will be done your highness." The man bowed.

Zuko drew a sharp breath. Azula. His suspicions were confirmed when his sister spoke.

"Good. And see to it that the gates are kept closed. No on in or out of the city without my say so."

Zuko turned and ran, back to the place where he could get out of the city. He rushed back through the woods to the cave. The fruit lay forgotten in his sash.

"Uncle!" he said as he rushed into the cave, pulling off his mask. "Azula is in the city!"

"Zuko? You...you're the blue spirit?"

Zuko looked at the fire across from Iroh. Katara saw with one arm in a sling, propped against a rock with a bowl of rice in her lap. She slowly lowered the chopsticks that held her next bite of food.

Zuko's eyes widened as he took all this in.

"Oh ..."

* * *

_Insert any word you want. Be it cuss word or whatever. I'm soooo soo sooo sorry that they just keep getting shorter. However this chapter inspired some bigger plot twists so it still should be long. Just in little bits. See with so little time I do better just going with short snippits of story line. And so here it is. I will have another one by sunday. I hope. I have a date to, so I might have a boyfriend soo so I might spend all my time on the phone too. Eeeep I'll shut up. _


	4. Ba Sing Se

"Any news of the city?" came the cold voice from the shadows.

"No, Princess Azula. Everyone is being searched as they enter the city. The same with anyone leaving. Nothing will slip past us." The Captain bowed.

"I hope so captain, for your sake."

-:-:-:-:-

_3 Days Earlier_

"_Zuko? You...you're the blue spirit?"_

"_Oh ..."_

"Zuko, watch your language. We are in the presence of a lady," scolded Iroh.

Zuko frowned and nodded. "I apologize," he muttered. Iroh beamed at his nephew and returned to his meal. Katara continued to watch Zuko, not quite sure what to make of it.

Frowning the former prince walked to the back of the large cave and put his mask inside his pack and laid his swords across it, an easy reach from his bedroll.

Katara watched for a moment and then returned to her rice. The old man, he said his nephew had saved her. So if Zuko had called this man 'Uncle' then that meant that this kind old man was a once powerful General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. (I think. Unless it was east.)

Zuko stalked back over to the fire, and grabbed a bowl. He pulled the fruit he had stolen out of his sash and threw it to his uncle.

"Ahh where did you get this Zuko?" he asked as he examined the pommigranit. "They are out of season everywhere else."

"I found it," muttered Zuko.

"You stole it," accused Katara from across the fire.

Zuko shot her a hard look and their eyes locked. They held the look, neither giving up, when suddenly a feeling shot through both of them. Zuko growled and the fire roared, breaking the eye contact. He made it look like he had given up in frustration. But his frustration was over something else.

He had never realized how beautiful the water tribe's girl's eyes were.

-:-:-:-:-:-

_Ba Sin Se-Next Morning_

"Wake up Twinkle Toes!" shouted Toph, right in Aang's ear.

"Ahhh!" He sat upright with a shout. "What time is it?"

"Right after dawn, I think. I can't see after all."

Aang sighed. "Sorry," he muttered and pulled back the curtain. Dawn spread on the horizon. The sun hadn't risen yet. "Almost on target. Right before."

Toph grinned for a moment at being so close, then her face hardened. "Azula and her crew are here. Got here last night. Right after your run in with the blue spirit.

"What?!?!" yelled Aang as he jumped out of his bed. The air in the room whirled and within seconds he was dressed and out the door to wake Sokka.

"I knew that would get him up," muttered Toph to herself. "Now, How to get out of the city?"

-:-:-:-:-:-

_Ba Sing Se-Royal Palace-One Hour Later_

"Captain Leigh, I want everyone coming into the city, and leaving searched and compared with these portraits." Azula gestured at the six men standing beside her. Each held a portrait depicting quite clearly, Aang, Toph, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Iroh.

"Anyone who matches these descriptions is to be detained and brought to me. Do you understand?"

The Captain rose from his knees. "I understand My Lady." With that he left the room. Azula laughed.

"Finally," she said, waving the other people out of the room. "I will have the Avatar and my traitorous brother."

* * *

**_Meep. Ok so it's not much longer than the last chappie but yeah, at least I got it done. And like I have a 3 day weekend so maybe another chapter will be up before tuesday. Yeah and I don't have a boyfriend. The date sucked. I'm not dating until College. Seriously._**


	5. Fever

"We need to find a way into the city," whispered Iroh as he stirred the coals in the fire ring.

"How? The girl can't walk. Or ride. She has two broken ribs, a broken arm, and her hip was dislocated. How will we get in traveling with her?"

"Perhaps she can help us? She is a water bender, if we chose to go in through the underground tunnel ways."

"What makes you think she will help us?"

"I think, she may feel it her duty…the water tribes hold a strong sense of honor. Like you….."

Katara's eyes fluttered closed, and the rest of the conversation escaped her.

"Perhaps," muttered Zuko as he stared out of the cave opening.

"What has happened to you nephew? One moment is seems as if you had changed forever then the next,…..you're as cold as ever."

Zuko cast his eyes down as the ground before him. "I don't know."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_Ba Sing Se, Middle-City Inn, Same Time_

"And how do you prepose we get out of the city?" asked Sokka has he peered out the window. Overnight the city had filled with fire nation troops.

"Ummmm…"

"We can't," said Toph, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We have to lay low and wait."

"Wait for what?" said Aang, his voice rising. "We have to get out of here and look for Katara!"

"Look Aang,"

Toph was cut off by a knock on the door. Rising she went to open it while Aang and Sokka exchanged looks.

She returned a moment later, followed by Zuko's uncle.

"What are you doing here?" asked Aang in surprise.

"And where's Zuko?" said Sokka. "Little rat," he added under his breath.

Iroh shook his head. "It's complicated. You may want to know, that your friend Katara is safe. I don't know what stopped that fall from killing her, but she is not seriously hurt. A few broken bones, but nothing that won't heal in time. She is outside the city in the care of my nephew."

Iroh paused and took a seat on the chair Aang had pulled up for him.

"Please go on," said the boy.

"I am the only one who can sneak into the city unnoticed. I can pass as a begger or some such. With his scar Zuko would be spotted. And Katara, with her light skin…"

"So my sister is out there all alone with that crazed wacko?"

"She is in good hands young man. Now onto this business of Princess Azula…"

-:-:-:-:-:-

Katara shivered under her blankets. Before Iroh had left, he had piled all of his blankets on her, and insisted Zuko move his bedroll into the smaller cave to watch Katara.

Zuko sat by the fire eyeing the girl. She shouldn't be this cold. He got up and crouched beside her. With a small amount of hesitation, he placed his hand on her forehead. She was burning up!

"Zuko?" Her eyes fluttered open. "I'm so cold. Please help me?"

Zuko started at her soft voice. Slowly he nodded and she closed her eyes. Standing he gathered rocks and lay them around her. He let the heat that came naturally to him flow into the rocks until they were warm, but not too hot.

He returned to his place by the fire and slept. An hour later he awoke and found Katara writhing against the blankets, now weighed down by rocks. Going to her he found she was even hotter than before. Even as he watched she stilled, then began to shiver. Felling her cheek he found her skin as hot as his own when he was mad.

He couldn't wake her. She only muttered when he tried. This was what he and his uncle had been afraid of.

A fever had set in and it was rising dangerously fast.

To make things worse, his uncle hadn't taught Zuko much about fevers. They didn't affect firebenders after all.

He supposed all he could do was wait. For now. Then he would have to try the few things he did know.

* * *

_Well I thought it was longer. x.x_


	6. Light

_ZOMG WTF??? I'M NOT DEAD??? IS IT A MIRICAL!!!?!?!? _

_ I'm so so so so so so sorry, and I beg everyone's forgivness, I don't know why it's taken so long. Maybe now that I know the third season will indeed run, I can finish this! YAY!!!_

_ Thank you all for being patient with me!!!_

* * *

By morning Katara was no better. She tossed and turned under her blankets. Zuko tried his best to keep her quiet, to keep from hurting her arm and ribs more.

She wouldn't drink and she hallucinated. When he tried to wake her, he couldn't. He tried to sweat out the fever, but it only continued to rise. By noon her lips were cracked and bleeding.

Zuko looked outside the cave. It was light out, but a storm was brewing. There was one last thing Zuko could try, then he would have to take her to the city to see a healer.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Aang watched through the small window that led to the street, as Azula and her escort passed. She patrolled the city every three nights at sundown, and Aang and his friends had to hide in the cellar, and wait for her to pass.

"Tomorrow night is the annual opening of the Ba Sing Se summer festival. Everyone will be in costume. It will be a good opportunity to sneak into the palace."

Aang turned to the old general who was calmly sipping his tea. "And she won't call it off?"

"She doesn't have that much power. She has a lot but she would have an uprising if she tried to cancel the festivals," said Toph.

"She's right," said Sokka. "Dad always told stories about how the fighting stops for the week of the Ba Sing Se festivals. At least, it's supposed to."

"Looks like this year \we're gonna have to break the tradition," sighed Aang.  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Zuko slipped on his mask and scooped up Katara in his arms. Night had fallen, and with hasty eyes searching the wood, he left the cave.

The water bender's condition had not changed over the day, if anything it had become worse. Her fever had risin and she had a nasty cough. She tossed and turned all day, plagued by fever induced nightmares.

As Zuko picked his way through the wood's underbrush, he took the time to examine the girl's face. Right now she didn't look like much but he could recall how, when she was mad, her eyes burned and froze at the same time. Her mouth would set in a hard line of determination and she would stop at nothing to save her friends.

Zuko shook his head as he emerged from the woods by the river. He lay Katara on the bank and turned to put down the sack he brought with him.

"Nnnn…"

Zuko turned back, and saw her eyes flutter open.

"Who are you?"

So she didn't remember what had happened the day before. She didn't remember him coming back and taking the mask off before.

He knelt by her side. "Shhh, Katara you're not well."

"Tell me who you are."

"Katara listen to me, you're by the river. You need to heal yourself."

He picked her up and waded into the water. The water around them began to glow. Her arm, ribs, and all her cuts healed, but her head didn't seem clear, and she was still burning with fever.

"Tell me," she pleaded. She raised her hands to his mask and gently moved it.

He closed his eyes when she touched his mask, and he waited for her reaction as the mask left his face. A gentle hand touched his cheek and he opened his eyes.

She was smiling.

"Thank you, Zuko."

Her whole body seized up and she screamed in pain. The air and water blazed a brilliant white and Zuko felt as if something was draining him of his energy. The scar on his face burned, and so did every other place he had ever been injured. Katara fell limp in his arms, and the light subsided.

Dragging her to the shore he collapsed beside her. With his last ounce of strength he gripped her hand and passed out.


	7. Festivals

_Meeeeep. Well ok, this is getting back in the swing of being written. I'm having an idea on where it's going, and it's not gonna last tooo long. Maybe a while, but not too much. _

_ So hope you enjoy.  
_

* * *

By noon the next day the festival was already in full swing, even though the opening ceremony wasn't until dusk.

Aang and the rest were out on their way to the palace for the ceremony. They had al been disguised for the occasion, swapping their traveling cloths for illustrious costumes.

Aang was dressed in water tribe blue, with a warriors mask to cover his arrow tattoos, and gloves on his hands. He carried dual knives, much like Zuko's, which Sokka had been teaching him to fight with.

Sokka had gone a little overboard, and was dressed as a woman, wig and all. He thought it would be the best way to hide. Aang had to remind him that it was his own fault every time some already drunk man tried to feel him up. Sokka was very mad by the end of the day.

Toph, in complete contrast, was dressed as a beggar girl from one of her Earth Nation's legends. In good contrast the girl was blind, so Toph had a band over her eyes to hide the fact that she really was blind, and held on to Aang's arm, to make it look as if she was just playing a part.

General Iroh had vanished early that morning, saying he would be back at sundown, and he would find them at the ceremony.

"Hey Twinkle Toes…That cart to your right."

"What about it?" asked Aang quietly looking at the cart.

"Don't look at it!" Toph hissed, jerking his arm and dragging him away. "That was a fire nation soldier. I can feel his armor under his cloths."

Aang nodded and moved away, followed by Toph and Sokka. "Thanks. I know we're disguised, but they might still be looking for people here together.

"Yeah, but look at how many avatars there are? They wouldn't have a chance of finding you. You don't even look like you!"

Aang grinned behind his mask and his eyes swept the market. Sokka was right, there were indeed about fifty of him visible through the crowds. He seemed popular.

"Com on, we have to get to the palace before the ceremony, and we have two more levels to get through."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Katara finally stirred and came to with a groan. She ached all over, and she was dizzy. She tried to remember what had happened. She clenched her hands and felt her hand close around something. Opening her eyes she saw her hand clutching Zuko's. It all came rushing back to her. The fall, the cave, and the water.

Carefully she sat up, still holding his hand and reached to brush back his now long hair. She couldn't quite understand this since she was sure it had been short before.

She gasped a little and drew back. Not only was his hair long, past his shoulders, but his face was soft, and calm, instead of hard and full of hate like it had been for so long. Not only that, but the scar that was burned into the side of his face was gone.

Katara laid a hand on his cheek where the mark had been and he stirred a little, opening his eyes.

"Zuko?"

He looked her over for a moment then smiled. "Your hair is really long," he said, almost carefree and sleepy.

Katara looked down and giggle, finding her hair pooled around her, so long it had to reach her knees at least.

"So is yours," she said and let her hand fall away and his hair fall in his face.

He sat up and pushed it back, then stopped. His hand had touched his cheek, and instead of the rough skin he was used to, it felt soft and smooth.

"Is it gone?" he asked quietly.

Katara nodded. "It healed. I don't know what happened but somehow…I healed everything." She had been examining her leg while she spoke. "Look…I used to have a scar here, from when I was a girl. Sokka knocked me over a canoe and I cut my leg. But it's gone." She looked up at him in puzzlement.

"Well we did both pass out," he said shrugging. Then he remembered Azula. "Katara, we have to get into the city. My uncle went to the Avatar to help him take down Azula at the Ba Sing Se summer festivals. They start at sundown."

"Then we should hurry."


	8. Final Plan

_Sorry if I've taken a while to update, I was stuck on an ending to the chapter. Also, the next chapter will most likely be the last. I'm pretty much done with the plot, and since it's getting shaky, I think I'll just wrap it up. Enjoy! _

* * *

Zuko and Katara returned to the cave, and found a package waiting for them.

The package was from Iroh, and contained cloths, suitable for a disguise, and instructions to a city entrance that would be unguarded at mid afternoon.

Katara opened the package with her name on it and found a fire nation outfit. Upon further examination she was less than pleased that it was, all in all, rather skimpy. With a sigh she bundled the cloths into a pile and looked across the cave.

Zuko sat with his back to her, a knife in his hand, trying to grasp his hair. She giggled a little and went to help him.

"You should leave it long you know," she said as she took the knife and set it down, then combed her fingers through his hair. She could have sworn she heard him growl.

"Why?"

"Because you'll have about a 15 chance of being recognized, where as with it short, you'll have about…oh I'd say, 55."

"I get your point," Zuko pouted. "Just get it out of my face."

"Gladly." Katara smiled and began to braid Zuko's hair.

When she was done he grunted a rough thanks and grabbed his new clothes, heading out of the cave. "I'll change by the river. Whistle when you're done."

Katara nodded as he left. She changed into her new fire nation clothes, and took up the knife. Carefully she cut her hair so it was about six inches shorter than it had been before. As a result her natural curls bounced and it fell just past her shoulders.

She slipped on gold arm bands, put on gold and ruby teardrop earrings, and traded her water tribe necklace for an orange fire gem that glowed softly. She put on the new sandals and tied the gold ties around her legs.

Satisfied she walked to the entrance of the cave and whistled softly. Zuko appeared from behind a bolder. Katara gasped a little. Zuko was dressed in water tribe clothing. Actually Zuko was dressed as water tribe royalty…how typical.

That wasn't really the point though. The point was he looked amazing in it. Katara smiled as she watched him approach.

"What?" he asked, rather abruptly, as he entered the cave.

She shook her head and covered her smile with her hand. "Nothing."  
"Don't lie Katara." The hint of a smile was playing at his lips.

Katara giggled. "Oh you know me, I'm a water tribe girl. I'm a sucker for the fancy outfits."

Zuko grinned and looked her over, which made her blush. "Well I'm a fire nation prince, and I'm a sucker for the fancy outfits too." He smirked, and walked closer to her.

Katara backed up a bit on instinct, and her smile faded slowly when she hit the wall. Zuko was still advancing on her and she had nowhere to go.

Still grinning Zuko stopped less than a foot away from her. "You know Katara…" he said quietly.

"What?"

"That outfit, look really good on you," said Zuko as he moved forward and put his hands on her exposed waist, making her shiver at the contact.

"Zuko…" Katara's hands went instinctively to his shoulders as she looked up at his smiling face, and dancing eyes. She didn't know what to make of it. She had never seen him like this.

"What Katara?" Now he was all but whispering.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes were starting to close of their own accord.

"I'm going to kiss you, that's what I'm doing," whispered Zuko as his own eyes closed and their lips met for a soft kiss.

-:-:-:-:-

"There it is!" said Aang quietly. They had successfully passed through the last two levels of the city and were approaching the castle gates with the hundreds of other people who would be in the castle for the festival ceremony. Sokka nodded and followed Aang.

"Toph," a voice whispered in the blind girls ear.

Toph turned her head a little and smiled. "Katara, you're safe."

Katara nodded and stood next to Toph who had been waiting for her at the last gate. Toph sniffed the air a little.

"Katara, you smell like Zuko."

Katara blushed and hid her face.

"I'm sure she does," came another voice softly behind Katara.

"And you smell like Katara, Zuko. What have you two been up to?" Toph raised an eyebrow.

Katara blushed profusely. "Nothing Toph. Where are Sokka and Aang?"

Toph smiled then jerked her head at the palace. "In there. We better go."

The two nodded and they all set out for the great doors of the palace.


	9. The End

**I'm apologizing ahead of time!**

_-One year Later-_

After the battle with the Firelord, Aang went back to the southern Air Temple to begin rebuilding the Air Nation. Sokka retuned to the south pole as the tribe leader. Toph was offered the position of queen of Ba Sing Se, but she declined in favor of starting her own wrestling torments.

And Katara stayed with Zuko as the firelady of a new and peaceful nation.

-The End-

I am really, Really Sorry!. I have no other way to end it, and I just want to get it out of the way. Feel free to flame this chapter. SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!!!

runs from the mob.

**Also…**

**A note for one of my reviews: _Beautiful description, although you seem to ignore certain areas that could have given an exciting feel to the story. Also, there seem to be a number of plot holes, like in chapter six, what was that glowing stuff at the end? _**

**That is called healing magic, coming from Katara.**

_**How did that stuff heal them? Did Zuko's scar get healed? Or did I miss something? **_

**The Magic pulled itself out of Katara as an instinct to save her life. Zuko's scar was healed, because he was touching Katara at the time.**

_**Zuko seems slightly OOC, and all of a sudden he's the Blue Spirit again? **_

**After Zuko was healed, his personality change. He no longer holds all the hate he had before, because he realized he loves Katara.**

_**And why did Katara correct him that he stole the fruit? I thought she was hurt. **_

**Katara was indeed injured. When she went to sleep a fever set in and nearly killed her.**

_**But this is still a solid if flawed story.**_

_**Consensus-Great description make up for the number of plotholes and poor story telling. **_

_**3.7 out of 5**_

**This is my first Avatar story, and it takes me a few stories to get into the real swing of the stories. I know it's slightly flawed, and I don't mind. I know it's not the best. I know it has plotholes. Also it has taken a long time to come up with a proper plot line. **

**I hope I answered your questions, if you read this.**

**Thank you for the Review.**


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